Denison Brierley

Linda and I visited Reichswald Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery during a battlefield tour with 201(N) Fd Hosp in September 2011. We did not realise at the time that Linda’s mum’s cousin, Denison, was buried in this cemetery.

On our return, we found this out and checked online sources about his burial site and the mode of his death.

Here is what we found:

Birth: 6/5/1917

Death: 20/12/1942

Sergeant (Flt. Engr.), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Age: 25.

*Service no 983068

Burial:

Reichswald Forest War Cemetery

Kleve, Klever Landkreis

Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Plot: 2. G. 6.

Created by: CWGC/ABMC

Record added: Aug 06, 2010

Find A Grave Memorial# 56032805

On St Michael’s Church Edinburgh war memorial

I hope this information is useful in your research; please quote ‘BOMBER

COMMAND DT570’ in all correspondence.

Here is the information from my database:-

SERIAL : DT570 * Please quote this in all correspondence *

DATE : 20-Dec-1942 / 21-Dec-1942

UNIT : 76 Sqdn

AIRCRAFT : Halifax II

RAF BASE : Linton-On-Ouse

TAKE-OFF AT : 17:41

CODES : MP:R

TARGET : Duisburg

Denison Brierley was the Flight Engineer of a Halifax B.II, serial DT570, code MP-R, based at Linton-on-Ouse. He was killed when the plane was shot down at 17:41 near Weeze while participating in a raid on Duisburg which took place on the night of 20th/21st December 1942.The plane was shot down by the German night-fighter ace Oberleutnant Knacke. The Halifax must have broken up in the air as a large part of the tail section came down near to a farm building, just outside the town of Weeze, the cockpit came down on a road junction in Weeze itself,about 400 meters from the tail section, and the rest came down a further 300 meters away, on or very near to the railway line going towards the town of Goch.

The crew members were :

Squadron Leader Raymond Newport Peace DFC, Pilot
Warrant Officer, Second Class Edmund George Jones RCAF, Co-Pilot
Sergeant Denison Brierley, Flight Engineer
Sergeant Jack Edgar Novelli Warner, Navigator
Sergeant Cecil Robert Ray, Bomb Aimer
Sergeant Leonard Edward Herbert, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Flight Sergeant Austin Roy O’Dell RCAF, Gunner
Sergeant Frederick Gilder, Gunner

We wished to return and visit his grave to remember him.

So, Linda and I and her sister June and husband Ian organised a battle field visit that would start with a visit to his grave, lay a wreath and honour his companion crew on his Halifax who died with him.

Dennis, Linda’s brother (who is named after Denison) had a letter from Chrissie, Linda’s mum This was sent to Denison on 2 December 1942, but was never delivered (he died on 20 December) and the letter was returned to sender. We therefore resolved to deliver this letter to Denison at last …

Our visit took place on 20 March 2015 …

In memory from his family This returned letter from his cousin Chrissie Swayne was finally delivered to Sgt. Denison Brierley by June Hastings and Linda Goulbourne (daughters of Chrissie) on 20 March 2015.